Helm and Boltzmann: Energetics at the Lubeck Naturforscherversammlung

The energetics controversy is understood variously as energy vs. atoms, the rmodynamics vs. statistical mechanics, phenomenalism vs. realism, equations vs. pictures, and especially Ostwald vs. Boltzmann. It is generally though t that at Lubeck in 1895 Boltzmann and Planck demolished energetics, but wh ile its momentum was slowed, energetics in one or more of the above senses still retained supporters as late as the great physics conference at the St . Louis World's Fair in 1904. Indeed, after Ostwald himself abandoned it in 1908, Ernst Mach began for the first time to defend it. The main emphasis in this paper, however, is on Georg Helm (1851-1923) who had been invited t o Lubeck to be the main speaker on energetics. He had adopted his position earlier than Ostwald and his views avoided many of the errors and oversight s in Ostwald's approach. Indeed, Helm could be called the strongest defende r of energetics, even if Ostwald was Boltzmann's main target. Helm was larg ely Machist in philosophy at that time and did not reify energy.